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Midseason baseball report: The players and teams to watch

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Midseason baseball report: The players and teams to watch

At the midway point of the high school baseball season, senior Jackson Eisenhauer of Crespi has been close to perfect. He has pitched 36 innings without giving up any earned runs. His scoreless streak reached 33-2/3 innings until two errors helped two runs score to end the streak last week.

“It’s an amazing thing to see,” coach Mike Glendenning said.

Eisenhauer has come out of nowhere, having pitched just 11 innings last season. He spent the summer becoming stronger under Woody Cliffords, a private trainer who has worked with Ryan Braun, Trevor Plouffe and Pete Crow-Armstrong.

What he’s accomplishing is no fluke.

“It’s a tribute to how hard he’s worked in the offseason to get himself to this point,” Glendenning said. “He’s hungry and determined.”

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Said Loyola coach Keith Ramsey: “He’s got a nice pitch mix with an 88-to-92-mph fastball. When he needs to make a pitch with runners on base, he gets tough. Whatever he did this offseason, every high school pitcher should do.”

Said Sierra Canyon coach Tom Meusborn: “He was throwing three pitches for strikes.”

Eisenhauer has what he calls a sweeper — a combination slider/curveball — that makes his fastball even better. He’s 5-0 and has helped Crespi go 14-1.

“I spent a lot of time in the weight room,” he said. “Putting on strength has been a big part of it.”

He’s a surfer, too, so there’s a fearless streak in him.

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Another pitcher on the rise has been 15-year-old freshman Carlos Acuna of Birmingham. He has thrown 22 consecutive scoreless innings. He’s 4-0 with an 0.57 earned-run average and 51 strikeouts in 36-2/3 innings.

Gavin Lauridsen of Foothill has been one of the best two-way players. He’s batting .426 with 20 hits and 18 RBIs. On the mound he’s 5-0 with an 0.71 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 39-1/3 innings.

Unbeaten Corona (14-0) has many players living up to expectations. The pitching staff has delivered 12 shutouts in 14 games. The hitters have combined for 26 home runs.

Seth Hernandez (4-0) has pitched 22-1/3 scoreless innings while striking out 47 with two walks. He also has hit four home runs and is batting .383. Anthony Murphy has six home runs. The team has made just seven errors.

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Hunter Manning of West Ranch is coming off a 16-strikeout performance against Valencia. He is 3-0 with a 1.38 ERA. Sophomore Otto Graham of JSerra started the season with 24 1/3 scoreless innings. Brandon Thomas of Mater Dei has given up one run in 27 innings.

Junior pitcher Garrett Jacobs of Mira Costa has helped his team win 12 consecutive games. He had 11 strikeouts against Redondo Union, 14 against Palos Verdes and has given up just 27 hits in 40 innings while striking out 61.

Jake Nobles of Villa Park has given up one unearned run and 12 hits in 26-2/3 innings.

Quentin Young of Oaks Christian continues to prove he’s the best power hitter with nine home runs.

Gavin Kramer of Vista Murrieta is 4-0 with a 1.42 ERA and also has 15 hits.

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Catcher Trent Grindlinger of Huntington Beach is performing well behind the plate and in the batter’s box with three home runs.

Joshua Pearlstein of Clevleand has become one of the top hitters in the City Section with a .445 average. The junior had a week in which he went seven for eight against Granada Hills.

Sophomore Jake Kim has hit five home runs for Harvard-Westlake.

Among teams, Aquinas is 12-1 and won the National Classic last week after winning the Boras Classic South consolation title.

Pitcher Jackson Eisenhauer of Crespi.

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(Craig Weston)

Crespi has started the Mission League with a 9-1 record.

La Mirada (13-2) has lost only to Corona.

Huntington Beach is 12-1 and hoping to meet Corona in the National High School Invitational this week in Cary, N.C.

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Venice is 13-1 and running away with the Western League championship.

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Olympic medalist suffers serious injuries after ‘death-defying’ skateboarding stunt

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Olympic medalist suffers serious injuries after ‘death-defying’ skateboarding stunt

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An Olympic medalist and 13-time X Games winner suffered serious head injuries after a stunt went wrong.

Nyjah Huston, who won bronze in Paris in 2024, said he suffered a fractured skull and eye socket.

“A harsh reminder how death-defying skating massive rails can be…” Huston wrote in an Instagram post which included a photo of himself in a hospital bed. “Taking it one day at a time. I hope yall had a better new years then me. We live to fight another day.”

 

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Nyjah Huston of the United States competes in the men’s street prelims during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at La Concorde 3.  (Jack Gruber/USA TODAY Sports)

The post also featured Huston being treated by first responders and friends, along with another photo showing a large black-and-blue mark on Huston’s eye.

Numerous skating legends showed their support for Huston, who is considered one of the best skateboarders in the United States today.

Nyjah Huston of Team USA reacts at the Skateboarding Men’s Street Prelims on day two of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Urban Sports Park on July 25, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

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“Been watching @nyjah grow up into one of the best skaters to ever do it and it amazes me the amount of grit this kid has,” Shaun White shared on his Instagram story, via Pro Football Network. “You got this brother. Heal quick!”

Even Tony Hawk shared well-wishes on Huston’s Instagram post.

“Heavy. Stay strong; we know you’ll be back,” the skateboarding legend wrote.

“Man.. prayers for healing brother!” added Ryan Sheckler.

It is unknown whether Huston was wearing a helmet at the time of the incident.

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Nyjah Huston, of the United States, celebrates during the men’s skateboard street final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Paris, France.  (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Huston has seven gold medals and five silvers in world championships. He has not competed since the 2024 Olympics, but the California native has his eyes set on the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

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Prep talk: JuJu Watkins returns to Sierra Canyon on Friday

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Prep talk: JuJu Watkins returns to Sierra Canyon on Friday

JuJu Watkins is returning to Sierra Canyon High on Friday, the place where she was a high school basketball All-American.

The school will hold a ceremony retiring her jersey at halftime of the boys’ basketball game between Sierra Canyon and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

She will be presented with a framed jersey.

Watkins is sitting out this season at USC while recovering from a knee injury.

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Sierra Canyon girls’ basketball coach Alicia Komaki said, “She raised our standards, which was hard to do because we had won four state championships. She was an incredibly talented player.”

Watkins was also making a huge impact in the college game until her injury last season during the NCAA playoffs.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

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Miami beats Ole Miss behind Carson Beck’s game-winning touchdown to reach CFP National Championship Game

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Miami beats Ole Miss behind Carson Beck’s game-winning touchdown to reach CFP National Championship Game

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The Miami Hurricanes are heading to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, coming away with a narrow victory over Ole Miss, 31-27, in an all-time postseason contest. 

The Hurricanes will now await the winner of the other semifinal between the Indiana Hoosiers and Oregon Ducks to see who they will play on Jan. 19. But Miami will do so on their home turf, with the National Championship Game being played at Hard Rock Stadium – the site of their home games. 

The game began slowly for both teams, with only Miami getting on the scoreboard in the first quarter with a field goal on their 13-play opening drive. But the fireworks came out from there for the Rebels thanks to the speed of running back Kewan Lacy.

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Charmar Brown of the Miami (FL) Hurricanes celebrates a run in the first quarter of the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Steve Limentani/ISI Photos)

On just the second play of the second quarter, Lacy was off to the race, finding a seam and busting out a 73-yard touchdown run to go up 7-3 after the extra point.

But this game was back and forth for quite some time, including the ensuing Hurricanes drive as quarterback Carson Beck led the way on a 15-play touchdown series with a CharMar Brown rushing score from four yards out.

The game was deadlocked at 10 apiece when Beck decided to air it out to Keelan Marion, and it was worth the risk. Marion made the grab for a 52-yard touchdown to help Miami go up 17-13 at halftime.

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The third quarter was an odd one for both squads, as their opening drives resulted in a missed field goal apiece. Then, after Beck threw an interception, the Rebels were able to cut the lead to 17-16 in favor of the Hurricanes heading into the fourth quarter for the ages.

There was no absence of electric plays when it mattered most in the final 15 minutes, as Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss got his team downfield enough to take a 19-17 lead with a field goal.

But the speed of Malachi Toney changed the scoreboard for Miami in the best way possible, as he took a screen 36 yards to the house, capping a four-play, 75-yard answer drive for the Hurricanes right after Ole Miss took the lead.

Trinidad Chambliss of the Ole Miss Rebels celebrates a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes in the second quarter during the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

With a 24-19 lead and five minutes left to play in the game, Chambliss and the Rebels’ offense had quite enough time to retake the lead. He did just that, finding trusty tight end Dae’Quan Wright for 24 yards to send the Rebels faithful ballistic.

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Ole Miss wanted to go for two in hopes of making it a three-point lead, and Chambliss came through again, finding a wide open Caleb Odom for the key score.

It was up to Beck and the Miami offense to keep the game alive with at least tying the game at 27 apiece. On a crucial third-and-10 just inside field goal range, Beck was confident with his pass to Marion to get well within range. Another pass to Marion made it first-and-goal, and it was clear Miami wasn’t trying to force overtime. They wanted to win it all.

How fitting was it that Beck, scanning the field, found a seam to his left and just sprinted for the colored paint to score the game-winner with 18 seconds left.

But things got fascinating at the end, with Ole Miss going 40 yards in just a few seconds to set up a Hail Mary for the win. Chambliss had the space to loft a pass to the end zone, and though it hit off the hand of a teammate, it landed incomplete for the Miami victory. 

Carson Beck of the Miami Hurricanes passes the ball against the Ole Miss Rebels in the first quarter during the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona.   (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

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In the box score, Beck was 23-of-37 for 268 yards with his two passing touchdowns and an interception. Marion was a key player in the victory with seven catches for 114 yards, while Mark Fletcher Jr. set the tone in the ground game with 133 yards rushing on 22 carries. Toney also tallied 81 receiving yards for Miami.

For Ole Miss, Chambliss also went 23-of-37 for 277 yards with his touchdown to Wright, who finished with 64 yards on three grabs. De’Zhaun Stribling was five for 77 through the air, while Lacy rushed for 103 yards on 11 carries.

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